Kim ridicules rumors

North Korean leader ends 20-day absence

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un ended his 20-day absence Friday, ridiculing all rumors and speculation about his health. The North's official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported Saturday that Kim attended a ceremony to mark the completion of a fertilizer factory in Sunchon, north of Pyongyang, the previous day.

Given the photos released by the KCNA, Kim has proven that all the rumors and media reports about his health were wrong. The photos depicted Kim, in a dark Mao suit, cutting a red ribbon and talking to accompanying officials. Some of them showed Kim smiling with no signs of illness.

Kim made his first public appearance since he presided over a Politburo meeting of the North's ruling Workers' Party, April 11. He was absent from an annual event observing the April 15 birth anniversary of his late grandfather Kim Il-sung who is revered as the founder of the socialist country.

His drawn-out disappearance from public view had triggered the spread of rumors and speculation that he was seriously ill. Some pundits even made false claims about his death. The Daily NK, a Seoul-based news outlet specializing in North Korea issues, added fuel to the fire by reporting that Kim was under medical recovery treatment after undergoing a cardiovascular procedure.

Then, U.S. cable news channel CNN went too far in reporting last week that Kim was in “grave danger” after surgery. Making matters more complicated, North Korea had remained silent about Kim's whereabouts and health condition until the KCNA report about his activity and release of his photos.

Unconfirmed news reports and speculation usually become rampant when there is a lack or absence of information. This also causes “infodemics” of fake news and rumors. The case of Kim came amid the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic. Some press reports said that Kim stayed at his villa in the eastern coastal city of Wonsan because one of his bodyguards showed suspected symptoms of COVID-19. But this is still hard to confirm.

More worrisome was that many media and pundits at home and abroad disregarded U.S. and South Korean intelligence assessments that Kim was alive and safe. U.S. President Donald Trump denied the CNN report. And Seoul officials repeatedly said there had been no unusual movements detected in the North regarding Kim's health.

It was reckless and irresponsible for two North Korean defectors, who were elected as lawmakers in the April 15 general election, to suggest Kim was ill and even dead. They are former North Korean diplomat Thae Yong-ho and human rights activist Ji Seong-ho. In an interview with CNN, Thae said that Kim could not stand up by himself or work properly. Ji went so far as to claim that he was “99 percent sure” of Kim's death. They should be held accountable for their baloney.

The media are required to go back to the principles of journalism. They should strengthen their fact-checking functions. They must not provide incorrect and unconfirmed information, especially about Kim's health which is sensitive to national security. Do not forget that fake news is the enemy of democracy.